With the current outbreak of swine flu, do we all now see WHY the lists of clean and unclean creatures were put in The Bible? Why is it so hard for our preachers and theologians to understand SIMPLE truths? God put these lists in Leviticus chapter 11 for very good reasons. Certain creatures are not to be eaten because they are unhealthy and dangerous. And they are unhealthy and dangerous to even be around!

Some will say, well, those lists were for a time when people didn't know how to properly cook and prepare their meats whereas we, today, know so much more about health and cooking. Really? Are we supposed to believe that 3,000 years ago, people had no fire? In addition to the diseases and toxins these creatures carry, there are certain slow, long-term effects that their tissues have on human organs and systems. These effects can NOT be cooked out of the flesh.

Some will also say, well, those lists were for the ancient Israelites who needed to know which animals were for sacrificing and which were not. Really? Where in God's Laws was anyone required to sacrifice a fish? How about a grasshopper or a locust? These are among the CLEAN foods! The 'foods chapter' is in the midst of others that deal with public health and hygiene.

I wrote a long article on this subject in 1991 and will post it soon. For now, I just need to say that chicken and turkey are also unclean animals even though they are not listed by name in Lev. 11. Those lists are meant to be general guidelines for the evaluation of ANY creature that one may come across anywhere in the world.

--RPC,  Saturday  May  2,  2009